College football’s Top 25 résumé ranking entering Week 9

Week 8 of the college football season saw 4 AP-ranked teams lose to unranked competition. A fifth team (Texas) was taken to overtime by an unranked team. And, in total, 4 top-10 teams lost.

That means every model, every poll, and every power ranking was due for a shakeup. This week’s résumé ranking was no different.

You can find last week’s ranking here.

Ranking the Top 25 résumés in college football

So, what’s the objective here?

This is not a subjective power ranking of the best teams in college football. This is not a subjective ranking of how I think these teams will look at the end of the season or a prediction of who will make the College Football Playoff. This is a ranking that seeks to compare what teams have actually done on the field, free from the bias that gets baked into a preseason ranking. Who you beat matters. Where you beat them matters. How you beat them matters. And losses matter.

Let’s get to it.

Dropped from the ranking: 18 Memphis, 21 Nebraska, 24 Washington

25. Iowa (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten)

BEST WIN: 37-0 at Wisconsin
LAST WEEK: NR

Iowa won a game against Penn State even though its starting quarterback threw for just 68 yards. That statement, without any of the additional (necessary) context, is hilarious. The more things change, the more they stay the same. It’s actually amazing that the game between the Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions cleared its projected total; the 2 offenses combined to average 3.7 yards per pass attempt. Jokes aside, Iowa has 2 losses on the résumé — a 2-point road loss in a rivalry game, and a 5-point loss to Indiana. The Illini were also in the mix for this final spot, but getting the doors blown off in the 2 biggest games of their season tilted things in favor of the Hawkeyes.

24. Michigan (5-2, 3-1 B1G)

BEST WIN: 24-7 vs. Washington
LAST WEEK: NR

The Wolverines responded to their woeful West Coast trip by belting Washington. Michigan held U-Dub to 40 rushing yards and outscored it 17-0 in the second half. Big-time response.

23. Utah (5-2, 2-2 Big 12)

BEST WIN: 42-10 vs. Arizona State
LAST WEEK: 20

Not much of a drop for the Utes after falling by 3 points on the road in the Holy War. Utah still has multiple blowout wins over power conference teams and it rates well in a number of models. The Utes are fourth nationally in net success rate, per Game on Paper, and rate 14th in SP+. I’m going to hold my judgment until I see what Utah does against Colorado. Arizona State and Houston — opponents in Week 9 — were also close to the cutline this week.

22. LSU (5-2, 2-2 SEC)

BEST WIN: 20-10 vs. Florida
LAST WEEK: 15

Vanderbilt looked like the better team, and it played like it knew it was the better team. That’s a pretty damning statement on the current state of Brian Kelly‘s program. I don’t think this team is nearly as good as folks thought it was after Week 1, but wins at Clemson and against Florida are enough to keep the Tigers in the ranking this week.

21. Louisville (5-1, 2-1 ACC)

BEST WIN: 24-21 at Miami
LAST WEEK: NR

Just when I jumped off the bandwagon, Louisville roped me back in. A 24-21 win over Miami in Week 8 said a lot about the Hurricanes’ psyche, but the Cardinals more than held their own at the line of scrimmage against one of the better fronts in the country.

20. Virginia (6-1, 3-0 ACC)

BEST WIN: 30-27 at Louisville
LAST WEEK: 23

Virginia needed a late safety to beat Washington State at home, but sometimes good teams have clunkers. Great teams win their clunkers. I don’t know if the ‘Hoos are a great team, but they are 3-0 in conference play and have a legitimate shot at going unbeaten in the ACC.

19. Tennessee (5-2, 2-2 SEC)

BEST WIN: 41-34 at Mississippi State
LAST WEEK: 10

Concerns about the Tennessee defense are legitimate. It turns out that Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson was just buttering the Vols up before knifing through them. Joey Aguilar’s interception on the final play of the first half was a back-breaker. And, as a result, the Vols’ collection of wins is pretty average-looking right now.

18. USC (5-2, 3-1 B1G)

BEST WIN: 31-13 vs. Michigan
LAST WEEK: 12

Jeremiyah Love ran over the Trojans. But even with that monster performance, Notre Dame needed 2 second-half interceptions from Jayden Maiava, a fumble, and a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown to beat the Trojans by 10 points at home. The only other loss on the résumé is a 2-point defeat at Illinois. I have no clue how Michigan, with the same record and a head-to-head loss to USC, is ranked in this week’s AP Poll and USC is not.

17. Ole Miss (6-1, 3-1 SEC)

BEST WIN: 24-19 vs. LSU
LAST WEEK: 7

This defense stinks. And once the Georgia defense figured out how to counter the Rebels’ offense, Ole Miss was completely helpless. Put another way, Ole Miss scored touchdowns on each of its first 5 possessions of an SEC game and lost. This one is going to haunt the Rebels later this year.

16. Notre Dame (5-2)

BEST WIN: 34-24 vs. USC
LAST WEEK: 25

Here come the Irish. Again. After back-to-back losses to open the season, Notre Dame has ripped off 5 straight wins. Those victories include a road beatdown of an SEC team, a home win over a ranked Big Ten team, and a home drubbing of a Playoff threat.

15. Cincinnati (6-1, 3-0 Big 12)

BEST WIN: 38-30 vs. Iowa State
LAST WEEK: 22

Cincy quarterback Brendan Sorsby scored 5 touchdowns to help the Bearcats smash Oklahoma State on the road. That doesn’t mean as much as it did a few years ago, but it did move the Bearcats to 6-1 on the season, matching their best start since 2022.

14. South Florida (6-1, 3-0 AAC)

BEST WIN: 18-16 at Florida
LAST WEEK: 16

The Bulls smashed another opponent last week. Since the loss to Miami, USF is 4-0 and has averaged 57 points a game across those 4 contests. None of the games have been close. Against Memphis this weekend, USF has a major opportunity to take a step toward the CFP.

13. Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1 SEC)

BEST WIN: 24-13 vs. Michigan
LAST WEEK: 13

The Sooners bounced back from their first loss of the season by handling South Carolina on the road. The defense played outstanding, which we’ve come to expect from that unit. The offense still looked rough. With Auburn losing 4 in a row, the Sooners’ résumé is starting to look a little lean. Saturday’s game against Ole Miss is a critical game for Oklahoma as it relates to the Playoff.

12. Missouri (6-1, 2-1 SEC)

BEST WIN: 23-17 at Auburn (2OT)
LAST WEEK: 18

Yes, it came in double overtime. And, yes, it came against a team that is likely going to fire its head coach in the coming weeks. But a road SEC win is still a road SEC win. And this was Mizzou’s first road trip of the season. Those usually trip teams up. Mizzou weathered the storm and met the moment when it mattered.

RELATED: Missouri online sports betting will be live before the end of the year. Saturday Down South will have the latest info surrounding the Underdog Sportsbook Missouri launch.

11. BYU (7-0, 4-0 Big 12)

BEST WIN: 24-21 vs. Utah
LAST WEEK: 19

Can’t keep denying the Cougars, who are following last season’s script by managing to eke out wins in whatever way necessary. BYU is 3-0 in games decided by 7 points or less. During last season’s 9-0 start, it also went 3-0 in 1-score games. The win over Utah also made program history. BYU is 7-0 to start consecutive seasons for the first time ever.

10. Vanderbilt (6-1, 2-1 SEC)

BEST WIN: 31-24 vs. LSU
LAST WEEK: 14

The Commodores have an elite offense. That was verified this past weekend with a 31-point performance against a high-level LSU defense. According to Game on Paper, the ‘Dores had a plus-12% net success rate in the game. That signals domination. And that is in line with how I felt about the game while it was playing out.

9. Georgia Tech (7-0, 3-0 ACC)

BEST WIN: 24-21 vs. Clemson
LAST WEEK: 11

Georgia Tech is 7-0 for the first time since 1966, and it is 4-0 in ACC play for the first time since 1998. After a poor first half on offense, Georgia Tech scored on all 4 of its second-half possessions to run away from Duke. This team is very much in the driver’s seat in the ACC.

8. Texas Tech (6-1, 3-1 Big 12)

BEST WIN: 34-10 at Utah
LAST WEEK: 5

A 26-22 loss for Texas Tech at Arizona State is the exact reason why we have an expanded Playoff format. After rolling each of its first 6 opponents, Tech went on the road without its starting quarterback and lost on a goal-line touchdown run with 34 seconds remaining. I don’t agree with the 7-spot tumble in the AP Poll; Tech gets a mulligan.

7. Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC)

BEST WIN: 43-35 vs. Ole Miss
LAST WEEK: 9

Good win for the Bulldogs. Necessary win for the Bulldogs. I don’t have much else to say. Georgia is falling backwards into big-time wins this season. Second-half adjustments are paying dividends, although eventually the slow starts are going to bite Kirby Smart. Georgia didn’t get a single stop through the first 3 quarters against Ole Miss and won anyway. I think this team is clearly a cut below the elite tier in the SEC.

6. Oregon (6-1, 3-1 B1G)

BEST WIN: 30-24 at Penn State
LAST WEEK: 8

The Rutgers defense is terrible. That unit gave up 69 combined points to Iowa and Minnesota. So, it was good to see Oregon go on the road and take care of business in such a comprehensive manner, winning 56-10 in Piscataway. Oregon had 750 yards of offense, signaling just how bad the bottom of the Big Ten is.

5. Miami (5-1, 1-1 ACC)

BEST WIN: 27-24 vs. Notre Dame
LAST WEEK: 1

Miami’s first loss of the season was a disappointing one. The Hurricanes have made a habit in recent years of face-planting and giving themselves little to no margin for error in the ACC. With Georgia Tech and Virginia both unbeaten in league play, and no regular-season meeting scheduled between them, Miami needs help now to get to the conference title game. I still think what Miami has done through 6 games is impressive, but now it’s time to see how this group responds. Carson Beck needs to be the kind of leader Miami paid for.

4. Alabama (6-1, 4-0 SEC)

BEST WIN: 24-21 at Georgia
LAST WEEK: 6

After a fourth straight win over an AP-ranked opponent, Alabama is playing as well as anyone in the country. You could actually make the argument that Alabama is playing better than anyone in the country. That elite tier that was mentioned in the Georgia section? That tier is currently inhabited by Alabama and only Alabama. The loss to Florida State looks worse with each passing week, however. So, with 3 unbeaten teams still battering competition in the top 2 leagues, I can’t justify putting Alabama much higher.

3. Ohio State (7-0, 4-0 B1G)

BEST WIN: 34-16 at Illinois
LAST WEEK: 4

Wisconsin stinks, and Ohio State blanked it on the road. Another convincing win for the Buckeyes, who don’t play with their food. But, as I stated in the Oregon section, the bottom of the Big Ten is disgusting, and the Buckeyes don’t get extra points for beating up on one of the cellar-dwellers.

2. Texas A&M (7-0, 4-0 SEC)

BEST WIN: 41-40 at Notre Dame
LAST WEEK: 3

A 45-42 win at Arkansas requires a bit of context. While Texas A&M never got firm control of the game, it was leading by 10-plus points throughout, and led 45-35 until a Razorback touchdown with 10 seconds to play. Texas A&M scored on 7 of its 9 completed drives and piled up 497 yards of offense. That’s pretty easy to do against a helpless Arkansas defense, but it bears mentioning nonetheless. A&M has just its third-ever 4-0 start to SEC play, meaning coach Mike Elko is the first to start consecutive seasons 4-0 since the Aggies joined the league. With a win this weekend at LSU, A&M would join that top tier alongside the Tide.

1. Indiana (7-0, 4-0 B1G)

BEST WIN: 30-20 at Oregon
LAST WEEK: 2

After a second-quarter touchdown from Aidan Chiles to Nick Marsh, Michigan State had a 10-7 lead, and the eyes of the country focused in on Bloomington. Indiana then scored 31 unanswered points to win convincingly. Six of Indiana’s 7 wins have come by double-digits. The win at Oregon is the best singular result any team has had this season. And the 2 road victories for the Hoosiers have come over teams that are a combined 11-1 against everyone else. Indiana passes the eyeball test. And with a consensus top-5 rating across SP+, Sagarin, FEI, and K-Ford, Indiana fetches the top spot this week.